Apple accused of throttling millions of iPhones, faces $2 billion lawsuit

In a mass lawsuit filed in the UK, Apple has been accused of hiding defective batteries in millions of iPhones. The smartphone maker has been asked to pay up to 1.6 billion pounds (roughly around $2 billion) plus interest. The claim is that Apple used software updates to "throttle" older iPhone models and limit performance. The lawsuit is being heard in London, where lawyers argue that Apple concealed battery issues in certain phone models.

On the other hand, Apple denies the accusations and has branded the case as "baseless". According to a report by Reuters, Apple's lawyer, David Wolfson, pointed out that the lawsuit claims that "not all batteries could deliver the peak power demanded in all circumstances at all times," which is common to all battery-powered devices.

The legal team that filed the lawsuit against Apple has referred to the 2020 agreements in the US, where Apple settled a class-action lawsuit and a regulatory action by US states over iPhone battery issues. They argue the settlements show that Apple did not deny the allegations.

They also referred to Apple's commitment to the UK competition watchdog in 2019 to be "clearer and more upfront" with iPhone users about battery health. London's Competition Appeal Tribunal has been asked to certify the case and proceed towards a trial.

Apple has denied misleading its customers and pointed out that it issued a public apology in 2017 and offered cheaper battery replacements to affected customers.

Apple claims that its power management update, which was introduced in 2017, only reduced the performance of an iPhone 6 by an average of 10 per cent. Apple acknowledges that a small number of iPhone 6s models had defective batteries, and it offered free battery replacements for those.

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